The carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere is rising as a result of fossil fuel burning, bringing with it the threat of undesirable climate change. At the same time, the fishing industry seems to be exploiting the ocean's resources beyond its carrying capacity. Increased photosynthesis may address both of these issues by converting inorganic carbon (carbon dioxide) to organic carbon (vegetable matter) in a body of water. Such vegetable matter is the base of the marine food chain.
The natural process by which carbon dioxide is converted into organic carbon is known. When atmospheric carbon dioxide dissolves in the ocean it exists in an ionic form and can be taken into the bodies of marine phytoplankton through the process of photosynthesis. The phytoplankton eventually perish through age or are eaten by other marine organisms. Some of the resulting dead or excreted biomass then falls to the lower levels of the water column whereby at least some of the carbon is effectively stored away from the atmosphere for long periods of time.
In some regions of the ocean, the conversion of carbon dioxide dissolved at the surface of the ocean to organic carbon is limited by the availability of specific nutrients. For example, phytoplankton growth is limited in some 80% of the ocean by the lack of the macronutrient nitrogen.